


On a Frosty Winter's Morn

by onthedriftinthetardis (on_the_drift)



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Mistletoe, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 00:11:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13088352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/on_the_drift/pseuds/onthedriftinthetardis
Summary: After a long trip from Bad Wolf Bay, Tentoo and Rose arrive at the Tyler mansion, and an accidental encounter with mistletoe resolves Rose's most important question.





	On a Frosty Winter's Morn

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Skyler10 for the quick read-through!

After nearly twenty hours in taxis, zeppelins, a train, and finally Pete’s Land Rover, the Doctor and Rose arrived at the new Tyler mansion. They had tried to sleep along the way, leaning against each other, hands entwined, listening to Jackie prattle on about everything from the weather to how much she’d missed her young son, but they had woken every few minutes when one of their vehicles lurched a bit in an unexpected direction.  

Wearily, they got out of the car, shivered at the cold, and separated momentarily as they each exited a different side, but their hands came back together in unspoken agreement as soon as they were clear of the grill and now dark headlights. The muted dawn light filtered through thick stratus and cirrus clouds, illuminating a stone path that was flanked by frost-edged periwinkle and foot-high solar lamps. Pete and Jackie went ahead, and were met at the door by their nanny, who was holding a sleepy blonde toddler in his arms.

As mother and son joyfully reunited, the Doctor came to an abrupt halt, looking off to his left at a large tree trunk, then peered up into the bare branches. Rose stopped as well, her forward momentum halted by the Doctor’s hand — and his peculiar behavior. She looked at him quizzically, suppressing the urge to snap at him for the delay. He looked back at her nervously, then grinned his patented “I have no idea what I’m doing, so I’m going to bluster my way through it” grin, and drew her attention upward with a nod of his head. 

Rose looked up at the balls of deep green leaves scattered here and there among the branches. She could see white berries interspersed throughout the greenery. She looked back at the man at her side in puzzlement.

“What are they?”

“ _Viscum album album_!” the Doctor said with enthusiasm. When Rose gave a small shrug and shake of her head, he elaborated. “Otherwise known as common mistletoe! It’s a hemi-parasitic plant — it draws water and nutrients from a host tree like this poplar through a structure called a haustorium — bit like a bendy straw for plants.” He looked at her expectantly. 

Rose’s eyes widened, and her heart started drumming in her chest. She was so tired, here at the end of the most stressful and confusing day of her life, and she suddenly didn’t know how she felt about this new new man.  She swallowed down a rising panic. In an instant, he was directly in front of her, taking her other hand.

“Rose,” he said softly, imploringly.

She looked into his eyes, and he continued. “I’m sorry. I know, it’s traditional, but when have we ever stood on tradition? Eh? I shouldn’t have presumed … I mean, just because of what happened at the bay….” he drifted off. 

“Are you really still him? Are you still the Doctor?” Rose asked, brow furrowed, her voice finally breaking for the first time. 

“Oh Rose …,” he sighed, and rubbed his tired eyes, trying to find the words to explain. “I’m not _him_.” 

She drew in a sharp breath, and let it out unsteadily. She dropped her gaze and looked away.

“But I am still the Doctor,” he said firmly. He caught her chin in his fingers and gently coaxed her eyes up to his. “And I still love you.” 

Rose fell forward into his waiting arms, hugging him tightly, and he hugged her back with equal desperation. They swayed together for so long, Jackie stuck her head back out the door to check on them. Seeing them together, she smiled, and for once, went back inside and left them in peace.

When Rose drew back at last to tell him she still loved him too, warm lips covered hers before she could say a word, kissing her with joy and abandon, and she responded in kind. The two of them floated away on a rising tide of desire, forgetting the wintry surroundings in the heat of their embrace. 

Finally, exhaustion took its toll, and they each pulled back unsteadily. 

“Maybe we should … go inside?” Rose said, breathing heavily.

“Um… yes, all right,” he replied unconvincingly.

“What is it?”

“Wellll… I was just wondering about the, er … sleeping arrangements.” For perhaps the first time in his nine centuries, the Doctor blushed.

At that, Rose smiled, just as the sun’s rays peeked over the horizon. Coincidence? The Doctor wasn’t sure; he just knew that from now on, his sun would rise and set with her.

“C’mon,” she said as she tugged him towards the door. “You’re with me.”

He stumbled after her, through the door, and into his future for the last and best time. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you've enjoyed this ficlet, find me on Tumblr @onthedriftinthetardis. :)


End file.
